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IMTS Gets First 3D Printed Electric Car

Local Motors co-creates vehicles and related components with a global community of designers, engineers, fabricators and enthusiasts.

Local Motors built one of its Rally Fighter open-source production vehicles on the show floor at the 2012 International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS). For IMTS 2014, Local Motors is taking the concept of online design and hardware co-creation one step further. At this year’s show, the company will build and deliver the first direct digital manufactured vehicle.

This project is a partnership between IMTS sponsor AMT—The Association for Manufacturing Technology and Local Motors. It is intended to be a high-profile demo of how sustainable green technologies that use both additive and subtractive techniques can deliver stronger, safer, faster and more efficient vehicles.

Designed by the company’s global community and built using the material science and advanced manufacturing techniques available at the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Local Motors plans to produce an electric vehicle that is purpose-built for the urban transportation needs of cities like Chicago.

See what you missed at IMTS!

Check out IMTSTV for segments about the show and what’s new in the world of manufacturing technology, then watch Shop Talk to get the Modern Machine Shop editors’ take on IMTS, the trends they’re seeing, and what’s coming next in your industry.